Holiday weekend kicks off jumpstart to summer season on Jersey shore

OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- The upcoming holiday weekend down the Jersey shore is when many businesses re-open, or start to have limited hours, until the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day.

On the Ocean City Boardwalk Friday, there were dozens of people.

Popular spots like Manco & Manco Pizza had a full restaurant and that doesn't include take-out orders.

The Neary family of West Chester hit the boardwalk for their favorite summer treats and say Thursday's 80-degree temperatures were a big tease for summer beach days.

"It felt like summer. We got our Manco pizza, and Johnsons' popcorn is next," said Kristen Neary.

Mustafa Rashed, who lives in Philadelphia and Ventnor, said his family is also thinking ahead.

"It starts the countdown to the clock I think. Memorial Day weekend is only six or seven weeks away. All the ice cream shops are open now that it's April," Rashed said.

Jagielky's in Margate has been making candy for decades, and its treats make their way into plenty of Easter baskets.

"We sell a lot of eggs with names on them, bunnies, gummies, we ran out of jellybeans already, so a lot of baskets went out the door," said Adrianna Dion, whose family owns the chocolatier.

Businesses like Jagielky's also use this weekend as a benchmark to make sure they are prepared for the big seasonal crowds in just a few weeks.

"Luckily our staffing is very good this year, a couple of years ago it was tough but now we have a lot of college students, and our teachers that work for the year are down for the summer," said Dion.

So, what about summer rentals? Is it too late?

6abc spoke with Brian Hiltner and Dana Hartman-Hiltner of Berkshire Hathaway, and Fox and Roach in Margate.

"Very easy to find a rental, there are lots of great options, lots of great inventory," said Hartman-Hiltner. "My only piece of advice is to start now. I'm sure there's going to be a lot less inventory after this weekend."

But even after this weekend, the couple says there are always options, so check even if you think it's too late.